


Worlds Keep Turning

by madamehomesecretary



Series: To Build A Home [3]
Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:19:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29572365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamehomesecretary/pseuds/madamehomesecretary
Summary: “You know, I’m really not thrilled with you right now!” She called over the steady stream of water, her raised voice echoing against the glass walls of the shower. He nodded matter-of-factly in agreement.“I know,” he said flatly, still smiling.“After this baby comes out, you are never to touch me again, do you hear me?” She asked, and David could no longer hide his widening smirk.“Never again.” He agreed, his tone even as he tried to keep a straight face.A continuation of A Million Miles to Go.
Relationships: David Budd/Julia Montague
Series: To Build A Home [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107440
Comments: 26
Kudos: 69





	1. The List

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, friends! We are back for Part III of A Million Miles to Go. This one is called Worlds Keep Turning, and it will have 2 parts (maybe 3, tbd). 
> 
> A few weeks have passed (five to be exact) since the end of the last chapter and you only thought Julia was grumpy before. She is more than ready for Emilia to arrive, and is willing to do anything to speed the process along. Well ... almost anything. Ha. I hope you can hear this exchange in your head the way I can, because it seems quite amusing to me. 
> 
> Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement with this story. It's nice to revisit David and Julia and their sweet little family. Hang in there, we're just getting started. ;)
> 
> xo.

“I don’t know why this isn’t working, David!” Julia cried out in frustration, letting her fork fall to the plate with a loud clatter. “The article said pineapple, balsamic vinegar, papayas, raspberries … they’re all supposed to make her come out.”

Julia glared down at her plate of assorted fruits angrily, and David tried hard to hold back a laugh. As she neared being a full week past her due date, Julia’s mood had become more foul by the day, and David found himself looking for places to duck and cover as she (slowly and very angrily) stormed about the cottage. 

“She’ll come when she’s ready, love,” he said gently as he approached her in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he stood behind her. “Afterall, she is half Montague, so you might as well get used to her being stubborn like her mother,” he said, grinning cheekily. 

Julia huffed, picking up her fork again and taking another bite of pineapple from her plate. “I’m just …. tired of being pregnant, David,” she told him matter-of-factly in between chewing as she leaned into his embrace. “For Christ’s sake, she was a pineapple a few weeks ago!” Julia said, referencing their joke of referring to the baby as the size of a fruit or vegetable every week. 

“Darling, she wasn’t ever a pineapple. She was the size of a pineapple. Not a literal pineapple,” he said, stifling another laugh. He was relieved her back was to him and she couldn’t see his amused facial expression. He knew he shouldn’t laugh, but he found cranky Julia Montague adorable. As long as it wasn’t directed at him, of course. 

“I know that, David,” she said flatly. “I’m not stupid.”

Her irritation was evident without even seeing her face. 

Raising his hands in a sign of surrender, he stepped away from her. “What are some other ideas they give for making you go into labor?” he asked curiously, beginning to move about the kitchen. 

Picking up her phone, she sighed, scrolling through the article for the umpteenth time. 

“Walking...spicy food...sex…” 

He made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort behind her, and she turned to look at him, arching a brow. 

“Don’t even think about it, Sergeant Budd,” she protested, shaking her head. “I am roughly the size of a beached whale and I refuse to even entertain the idea. No, that shop is closed for business,” she said matter-of-factly, and David frowned. 

“I’d like to remind you that’s how we got here in the first place,” she muttered under her breath, her attention returning to her phone. 

“Julia…” he said softly, cautiously approaching her again. “You said you wanted her to come out … it seems like a good idea to me.” Leaning forward, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek, trailing his lips down to her neck and nibbling lightly.

She sighed, closing her eyes for a minute, trying to humor him. Maybe if it made things start to progress...

No. Absolutely not.

After a minute, she pulled away, pushing him away from her with both hands as she turned to face him. 

“David,” she said warningly, and he chuckled, knowing he was toeing a very dangerous line. “I will make you sleep on the couch…I mean it.” She told him before returning to the article on her phone. 

David laughed, holding his hands up again. 

“Okay, okay. No sex. What are our other options?” he asked, leaning back against the counter across from her and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Our options?” she repeated, rolling her eyes. “You haven’t been carrying a growing variation of a fruit inside of you for 41 weeks, David!” She snapped. “I think she’s beginning to bruise my internal organs. This is her official eviction notice,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “Do you hear me, little one?” she asked, glaring down at the bump. “Time is up! Mummy wants you out.” 

Watching as her stomach moved slightly in response, she couldn’t help but laugh. She knew she would miss being pregnant once Emilia was born. Everyone told her as much. And she had to admit, she had grown accustomed to the wiggles the little girl seemed to get from time to time, and the rounds of hiccups that had made Julia’s whole belly quiver as she and David watched in amusement, both giggling. 

Returning to her list, she read through them quickly. “Exercise… no, thank you. Acupuncture… absolutely not. Castor oil...do we have any of that?” she asked, turning to look at David, who shook his head. 

“Julia, we’re in Italy. The only oil we have is olive oil. And we have a lot of it.”

“I give up. I’m going to be pregnant until the end of eternity,” she said with a sigh, putting her phone down on the counter with a defeated thud, and David smirked. 

“There’s always the -- ”

“David Nathaniel Budd, I’m warning you,” Julia said lowly. “If you say sex again…” 

He shrugged. 

“Just trying to help. I have no ulterior motive in the matter whatsoever, ma’am.” 

Eyeing him skeptically, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “No, of course not.” Taking her time to get to her feet, she stretched slowly, arching her back as much as she could to ease the pressure in lower body. Everything hurt, and she felt like she was literally about to pop.

“I’m going to take a shower and try to get some of these kinks out…” she murmured before slowly making her way from the room. 

David watched her go and frowned. He wished there was something he could do for her. She was obviously miserable and he was at a loss. Vicky had been early with both Ella and Charlie, delivering at 39 and then almost 38 weeks. Pregnancy had been relatively easy for his now ex-wife and he envied her experience for Julia. 

Lorenzo had, of course, been keeping a careful eye on Julia, reassuring her that everything would most likely go as planned. But he was also a realist. They all knew that her age and any sort of stressful circumstances could complicate her pregnancy and the birth, too. Not even beginning to take her hip injury into account. David decided then and there if Emilia hadn’t made her impending arrival known by the end of the day, he would call Lorenzo. There had to be something they could do for her. 

Sighing, David looked at Julia’s phone, pulling up the article she had been reading again. Scrolling through for a few minutes, he read through the list more slowly, reading the paragraph of information below each suggestion. 

Hearing the shower beginning to run in the other room, David suddenly got an idea. Putting down the phone, he smiled to himself. Julia might kill him, but it might just be worth it if it meant they were one step closer to meeting their baby girl. 

Entering the bathroom, David moved quietly, leaning against the frame of the door and crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at Julia, his gaze softening as he watched her.

When he thought about their lives together, and what they had been through over the last two years, there were still days he couldn’t believe he was here. He was living in Italy with his fiance (she still hadn’t said yes, but she didn’t say no either) and their daughter would be here any day. And that made everything they had been through seem like it might have been worth it if it meant they had ended up here.

Still watching her wordlessly, David couldn’t help but take in how beautiful Julia was. Other than the small amount of weight she had gained in her face, her pregnancy had really only presented itself in her stomach. Well, almost. As his gaze fell to her breasts, he smiled appreciatively. He paused as he took in every detail of her appearance. Looking at her now, he marveled at how strong and courageous she had been through all of this. Their situation was less than ideal, of course, but here they were, getting ready to bring a baby girl into the world; hopefully sooner rather than later, if Emilia would cooperate he thought with a wry smile. David knew Julia had her fears about becoming a mother, but he had done his best to reassure her on more than one occasion that she would be wonderful. And he knew she would be.

Hearing a noise at the door, Julia opened her eyes as she stood under the hot water, and saw David standing at the door. Rolling her eyes, she gave him an annoyed look as she took in the way he was staring at her. 

“You know, I’m really not thrilled with you right now!” She called over the steady stream of water, her raised voice echoing against the glass walls of the shower. He nodded matter-of-factly in agreement. 

“I know,” he said flatly, still smiling. 

“After this baby comes out, you are never to touch me again, do you hear me?” She asked, and David could no longer hide his widening smirk. 

“Never again.” He agreed, his tone even as he tried to keep a straight face. 

Turning her back to him, she began to wash her hair, rubbing the shampoo into her scalp with her fingernails. 

“You know that I don’t like to be without control, David…” she continued, her eyes closed as she rinsed the bubbles from her hair. “But this is just really bloody ridiculous.” 

She hadn’t heard David as he moved closer to the shower door, opening it quietly. He stepped into the shower fully clothed and smirked as he took her arms in his hands, turning her toward him and lightly pushing her against the marble tile of the shower. 

Julia let out a squeal of surprise as David pressed his lips urgently to hers, his hands still holding her arms at her side. She bit her bottom lip as his mouth moved down to her neck and shoulders, placing warm, wet kisses all over her body. She was torn. She was so pregnant that she felt uncomfortable in her own skin and she hardly considered herself attractive right now, but she didn’t want to stop him either. It had been weeks since she and David had been intimate, a long stretch for them both. She could feel her resolve slipping as his lips felt like they were setting her body on fire as they continued to move across her skin. 

“David…” she said softly, and he shook his head, placing a finger over her lips. He knew that tone well.

“Shhhh…” He murmured, replacing his finger with his lips against her own again. He was surprised (but grateful) she wasn’t protesting more. He pulled away to look at her and was taken aback. Her eyes were almost closed and her lips were swollen as she leaned up against the shower wall, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. He grinned knowingly. “I want to help you, Julia…”

Trailing a line of kisses along her neck, he made a path down the center of her body, stopping to pay special attention to both breasts as he lavished them with his mouth before turning his attention to her protruding stomach as he kissed the swell of her taught swollen skin there. 

“David, please…” she said breathlessly, feeling the anticipation of what was to come sending butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Resisting the urge to make a smart comment about her statement of no sex earlier, David looked up at her with a cocky smile. 

No, he would do better not to take his chances in case she changed her mind. 

“Aye.” He said, standing straight again, his eyes meeting hers. He loved the way his name came out, like she was pleading for him. Leaning forward, he kissed her hard, his tongue tangling with hers as she moaned against his mouth.

“Say it again…” he said, his voice low as he pulled away, his hands gripping her shoulders. Julia felt her legs tremble slightly at the gruff sound of his voice. They both knew he had her exactly where he wanted her. 

“David….” she paused, her eyes closing as his fingers traced a gentle path across her chest, making their way downward. She sucked in a sharp breath. 

“Please, David.” Placing another series of open mouthed kisses where his fingers had been tracing her skin just moments earlier, he dropped to his knees and looked up at Julia, who was gazing down at him wantonly, her fingers threading through his curls and tugging. That was all the permission he needed. 

When it was over, Julia rested with her back against the wall, her ragged breathing returning to normal as David got to his feet again, his clothes soaked through and stuck to his skin. Her eyes were closed and her chest was heaving as she recovered from David’s skilled manipulation of her body. Leaning forward, he kissed her softly and she scrunched up her nose as she tasted herself on his lips. 

“That was …” she began and trailed off, shaking her head. She couldn’t find actual words. David laughed. He wanted her badly, but knew she had to be uncomfortable from standing for so long. Maybe a nap was in order before he persisted on things going any further. 

“Come on, let’s get you to bed…” he said gently. “You look like you could use some rest,” he added with a smirk and she shoved him playfully, though her effort was weak. Being seduced by him had not been on her agenda today, but damn, it sure did feel good. But he wasn’t wrong either, she was exhausted.

Stepping out of the shower, he began to peel off his wet clothes as he reached for Julia’s bathrobe. He was down to his black boxers when he turned back to her, noting the panicked expression on her face.

“Julia? What’s wrong?” he asked uncertainly, stepping back into the shower with her. She was hunched over slightly, her hand bracing herself against the wall. 

“David… I think… something is happening,” she said, closing her eyes.

He eyed her skeptically for a moment, before chuckling. 

“Very funny,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Good one, love.” 

Julia shook her head in response, and David could see the fear in her eyes as he grew serious. 

“I’m not kidding,” she told him, her eyes wide. “My waters just broke. Emilia is coming.”


	2. Lavender’s Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It hurts. A lot,” she whispered breathlessly, her honest confession hanging in the air between them. “The contractions hurt, and my hip hurts, but most of all I just want her to be here…”
> 
> Reaching into the water, David ran his fingers over her hip bone, applying a small amount of pressure in a makeshift massage as his fingers traced along her skin.
> 
> “You’re amazing, do you know that? You’ve gone through so much…,” he continued, “Thornton Circus, St. Matthew’s, your recovery and your pregnancy … it’s bloody amazing, Julia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, friends this is it! The moment (I think) you’ve been waiting for: the arrival of Miss Emilia Kimberly Montague-Budd! Julia has been pregnant for roughly a million years, or at least it feels like it, so it seemed only fair to put her out of her misery. 
> 
> Hopefully it’s been worth the wait for Emilia to finally arrive! 
> 
> Also, please note, “I don’t know nothing about birthing no babies,” (one of my favorite quotes from Gone with the Wind) but Mr. Google and I became very close friends for this chapter, so fingers crossed I did the process justice. Also, ouch. 😂
> 
> Thank you all for continuing to read this story and he invested in my little Montague-Budd family. It means the world to me. (And special thanks to Claire for proofing this chapter for me with all of her nurse-y knowledge!) 
> 
> ❤️❤️❤️

David paced nervously around the kitchen, glancing out the window every couple of minutes. Pausing, he would glance at his watch, look out the window, and then resume his pacing. 

If he wasn’t so nervous, he might even laugh about how anxious he was feeling. He had done this twice before, of course, but the circumstances were so different here. And just the idea of Julia being in pain made him ache. Taking a deep breath, he paused in his movement, leaning forward again to glance out the window. 

“Where is he?!” He grumbled, looking at his watch for what had to be the fiftieth time in the last hour. As soon as David had realized Julia wasn’t teasing him, he had rushed into action, calling Lorenzo and letting his words tumble out in a jumbled, nervous mess. 

_He had heard Lorenzo chuckle on the other end of the line, and scowled at the doctor’s calm reaction._

_“Calm down, David,” Lorenzo said. “It’s all going to be fine,” the doctor tried to reassure him._

_David was sure he could_ hear _the man grinning on the other end of the line. And he was._

_In Lorenzo’s experience, fathers were always more anxious than the mothers when labor began. It was ironic, he always thought, all things considered._

_“How far apart are the contractions?” He asked, and David looked at his watch quickly as he heard Julia cry out from the bedroom. She had banished him to the kitchen every time he jumped up when she made a noise, declaring that if he didn’t stop being so jumpy, she was going to send him to the main house and ask Rosita to come help her with the labor process._

_So he had dutifully gone to the kitchen as she had requested, his ears perking up at every noise coming from the bedroom. He frowned._

_“Every 15 minutes or so,” he said nervously. He walked back toward the source of the noise._

_“You okay in there, love?” He asked, peeking around the corner cautiously. Lorenzo laughed as he heard a long chain of swear words from Julia in response._

_“David, just try to keep her comfortable. You’re still looking at a while to go,” Lorenzo told him honestly. “I have to finish up my rounds at the hospital, but I’ll get there as soon as I can.”_

_David paled as he backed out of the room, returning to the kitchen. The last thing they needed on top of Julia’s pain was her ire being directed at him at the moment._

_“You can’t come now?” he asked, suddenly feeling anxious at the idea of not having a doctor around while Julia was in labor._

_“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” the man assured him, and David sighed._

_“You said to keep her comfortable,” he said, repeating Lorenzo’s own words back to him. “That’s easy for you to say, Lorenzo. She’s not ready to murder you.”_

_Lorenzo laughed just as David heard a muffled cry from the bedroom, and he winced. He would be lucky if he survived this. Julia was certainly going to murder him before the day was up._

David was broken from the memory when he saw headlights coming up the drive. It was just beginning to get dark outside, and the lights cast a shadow along the dirt driveway. David saw two figures emerge from the car quickly, and breathing a sigh of relief, he threw open the door as Lorenzo and Mila approached the house. 

“It’s about bloody time,” he said with a groan, looking at Lorenzo, who still chuckled. 

David thought about hitting him. He was sure it was helpful for Julia to have a doctor who seemed at ease during delivery, but the man’s easy nature was beginning to grate on David’s nerves. Badly. 

“It’s all going to be fine,” Lorenzo told him again, and David resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“How is she?” he asked, not waiting for an answer, as he brushed past him, carrying a large bag of supplies as he went straight to the bedroom to check on Julia. 

Mila smiled at David, pausing as she took his hand in her own. 

“It will all be alright, David,” she reassured him, echoing Lorenzo’s words. “It won’t be much longer and your little girl will be here.”

And with that, she turned and made her way toward the back of the cottage, following Lorenzo to see Julia and check her progress. 

Taking a deep breath, David knew they were all in for a long night. A night that was going to change the rest of their lives. 

David paced about the bedroom, his hands fidgeting nervously at his sides. He found himself wondering, not for the first time, why all of his training, both as a soldier and a police sergeant, seemed to leave his brain where Julia was concerned.

Looking over at her, he bit his lip in concern. He had returned to the bedroom once Lorenzo and Mila arrived, wanting to be there if they needed his assistance. But he had also learned (very quickly) that Julia much preferred him to be quiet, and had told him so in much fewer words. 

In the back of his mind, he wondered if they had made the right decision to do this here. Both of his other children had been born in a hospital, and while he didn’t doubt Lorenzo’s abilities as a doctor, he had to admit he was slightly concerned by the circumstances surrounding Emilia’s birth. 

Going out into the hall to gather his wits about him while Mila checked Julia’s progress and Lorenzo set up the birthing pool, David had called Vicky to let her know what was going on. He was under strict instructions from Ella to let them know when Julia had gone into labor. After speaking to his daughter for a moment, he couldn’t help but chuckle at her insistence to pass her love onto Julia and to let them know _as soon_ as Emilia had arrived.

As he was hanging up, Mila appeared in the hall. Offering him another reassuring smile, she reminded him that every woman reacted to labor differently. And that as soon as they held Emilia in their arms, everything else would fade away. Current death threats and swear words from Julia included.

Julia cried out in pain and David winced as he turned to look at her. Lorenzo and Mila had inflated the birthing pool in the middle of the room and filled it with warm water. Julia rested against the side of the pool, her eyes closed tightly as if she was trying to ward off the pain. As David watched her, he wished that was possible. 

She had been in labor for a few hours now, and while the progress was very slow, he knew that they were getting closer to holding Emilia. But he could also tell Julia was growing tired. He had watched as she had breathed through contractions, tears in her eyes, and then as her body relaxed after each one. 

Bracing himself for what he was sure would probably be another battle, he approached the pool, kneeling next to her carefully.

“Can I get you anything, love?” he asked softly, and Julia turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed. 

“Unless you can get this baby out of me right now, then _no_ ,” she said lowly, her tone pointed. 

Lorenzo pretended to be busy reading her chart, but couldn’t help but chuckle at their exchange. 

“She’ll be here soon,” he said gently, using Mila and Lorenzo’s own words of reassurance to him to attempt to placate Julia.

Julia’s hand was clutching tightly to the handle on the outside of the pool and David tentatively reached for her, stroking it lightly, his thumb brushing against her skin gently. Pulling her palm from the sturdy plastic handle, he brought it to his lips. Looking up at her as he kissed each knuckle one by one, he offered her a bright smile as he saw her eyes soften at the gesture. 

“I… um…. I’ve been pretty awful to you tonight,” she finally said, her eyes meeting his as she leaned back against the pool, shifting her lower body to try to make herself more comfortable. He could see the beginning of tears welling up in her eyes, and he shook his head firmly as she blinked them back quickly.

“Don’t apologize, love,” he told her softly, still brushing his lips against her hand. “You’re bringing our little girl into this world, you can say whatever you want.”

“Take advantage of that while you can,” Mila said with a grin, interrupting the moment between the couple as she leaned down to check the temperature of the water. “I’ve never sworn at my husband more than I did when I was in labor with our son,” she added with a smirk. “It felt _good_.”

Both of them laughed at Mila’s recollection, and Julia sighed heavily, her body beginning to tense at the signs of another upcoming round of contractions. Squeezing David’s hand tightly, she bit down on her bottom lip, trying to keep herself calm. 

She had heard stories of childbirth, and had read all the books to know what was happening with her body, but she had never really prepared herself for _this._ Ironically, she was reminded of her conversation with David when she first told him of her pregnancy.

_“I never even thought I wanted a child until I found out about Baby Budd here,” she admitted. “I’ve spent the better part of my career being handed babies for photos, and giving them back to their parents when they start to cry.” She let her shoulders sag, her anger turning to vulnerability._

_“What if I can’t be the mother she needs, David?” she finally asked after a long pause._

She squeezed her eyes together tighter, a combination of the contractions beginning to take over her body and the anxiousness she felt at the memory. Gritting her teeth as she breathed in and out through her nose, Julia opened her eyes again to look up at David, her green eyes meeting his blue ones. 

Mimicking her breathing patterns for her to follow, David was relieved when Julia began to visibly relax, panting as her body slumped against the back of the pool after the contraction passed.

“How are you doing?” he asked, leaning his head on the edge of the pool next to hers. 

“It hurts. _A lot,”_ she whispered breathlessly, her honest confession hanging in the air between them. “The contractions hurt, and my hip hurts, but most of all I just want her to be here…”

Reaching into the water, David ran his fingers over her hip bone, applying a small amount of pressure in a makeshift massage as his fingers traced along her skin. Feeling the slight rise of the familiar surgical scar beneath his fingertips, he brought his attention back to her face as he continued to knead the muscle slowly.

“You’re amazing, do you know that?” he asked, and she turned to look at him, her gaze meeting his wordlessly as her brow furrowed. “You’ve gone through so much…,” he continued, “Thornton Circus, St. Matthew’s, your recovery and your pregnancy … it’s bloody amazing, Julia.” 

She smiled, shaking her head quickly in protest. “I couldn’t have done any of it without you, you know that.”

A few more gruelling hours had passed, and after a particularly intense contraction, Julia let her head fall back weakly against the edge of the pool, grunting in frustration.“I can’t do this, David,” she gritted out, her anguish obvious. “I can’t do it. I can’t do it.”

As she repeated the words over and over, David looked to Lorenzo and Mila for reassurance. 

“Come on, Julia,” Mila said softly, sitting on the edge of the pool, next to her. “You’ve got this. I’m going to measure you and see how much further we have to go. You’re so close,” she encouraged and Julia nodded, though even the effort felt Herculean. 

“It’s just about time,” she said after a few minutes, withdrawing her hand from the water. “You’re 10 centimeters dilated, so at the next contraction, I want you to sit up and really push for me, okay?”

David glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Julia had been at this for hours now and still no sign of Emilia. He wasn’t sure how much more her poor body could take. Julia Montague was the strongest woman he knew, but a natural childbirth on top of the pain that was surely radiating from her hip… it almost seemed like too much.

“When you sit up, we’re going to try to adjust your body to keep you as comfortable as possible,” Lorenzo said, stepping in. “David will support your back and you’ll push as hard as you can until the contraction passes. Then you’ll take a break, okay? The next one will come quickly, but that’s how we know that Emilia is almost here.”

Julia nodded wordlessly, biting down on her lip. She had retreated into herself and David was beginning to grow worried when she whispered his name breathlessly. “It’s starting,” she told him nervously, moving to sit up with some difficulty and Mila’s assistance as she shifted her weight. 

David knelt behind Julia, his hands on her shoulders, helping push her body forward. She cried out as a sharp pain went from her hip down her leg, but it was nothing compared to the pressure she felt in the lower half of her body. 

“Okay, Julia. This is it. Push!” Lorenzo instructed, kneeling at the lower end of the pool. Julia leaned forward the best she could, clutching her knees to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut tightly as her body practically thrummed with pain.

The minute seemed to go on forever as David supported Julia’s back as she grunted and clenched her jaw tightly. When it had passed, he rubbed his hands across her shoulders and back lightly, trying to help relieve the pressure he was sure she was feeling.

“That was perfect, Julia,” Mila praised from beside her, holding a cold rag to her face as David continued to run his fingers over her upper body. “You’re going to keep doing that. You probably have about three or four minutes before the next contraction starts. And you’re just going to keep doing what you just did until we get your little girl here with us.”

Julia nodded, allowing her head to drop and her eyes to close. She wished she could rest. She was just so bloody tired. 

Just as Mila had predicted, it was only a few minutes before a contraction started again, and Julia repeated her movements from earlier, bearing down hard as she pushed with everything she had.

“Good! Good, keep going!!” Mila coached her through yet another contraction. 

As it passed a minute later, she collapsed back against the wall of the pool, her eyes meeting David’s. 

“I’m so tired,” she whispered, closing her eyes. 

“I know, sweetheart. You’re almost there.”

When she opened them again, David noticed the tears starting to well up in Julia’s eyes and that she was trying hard to blink them back without much success. As he saw the tears begin to stream down her face, David got to his feet and went over to speak to Lorenzo while Mila stayed with Julia, trying to encourage her the best she could. 

The doctor came over to Mila, saying something under his breath and she nodded. 

“Just keep doing what you’re doing, Julia,” Mila said proudly. “You’re doing great.” 

He watched as Lorenzo and Mila stepped back back, conversing softly, and giving David and Julia their own space to speak quietly.

David returned to her side quickly, kneeling next to her.

“Julia? It’s just you and me now, love. Can you take a deep breath for me?” She tried and when that didn’t seem to work, he saw the panic begin to set in again. David gently ran his hand down the side of her head, stopping at her cheek and rubbing back and forth with his thumb.

She continued to cry, her breathing uneven, and David almost began to panic himself. _No, keep it together. Both of us cannot be panicking at a time like this,_ he said to himself, shaking his head as he did so.

Another 20 minutes passed and Mila was checking Julia frequently. David had hoped it would all be over by now. Julia had _literally_ been in labor all day; since the early afternoon and it would be midnight in another hour. Checking her again, Mila told them that they were in the home stretch and that Emilia would be making her appearance any time now. 

Julia breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the end was so close. The contractions had slowed down a bit now, a sure sign that Emilia was almost ready to join them. Mila had declared that Julia was fully dilated and with her next contraction that she should push as hard as she possibly could. 

“It’s starting,” Julia mumbled, haphazardly rearranged her position the best she could as David prepared himself behind her, suddenly feeling a new energy take over the room as they knew how close they were. Leaning in, he planted his arms on either side of her from outside of the birthing pool and kissed the top of her head as he framed her body with his own. 

He felt her nod, and a minute later felt her entire body tense as she began to bear down, summoning all her strength along with the next contraction.

Julia was much quieter than he expected now, occasionally letting out a small grunt here and there, but quiet all the same. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, finally bringing them to her knees to help her push harder. He breathed rhythmically, hoping she would copy his breathing patterns. 

A small break in the contractions came and she rested against David as best she could, grimacing slightly. The pressure in her pelvis was excruciating; but she knew she needed to wait to push again. 

“I can feel her head,” Mila said with a grin from the foot of the pool, and Julia’s eyes widened.

“She’s right there, Julia,” David whispered, tears clouding his vision already. He bit back the tears that caught in his throat.

“Really?” She was breathless - exhausted from labor - and felt weak. But the thought of finally holding Emilia in her arms so soon made Julia’s heart quicken. 

“On the next contraction, you’ll push again, and she’ll be here,” Lorenzo instructed gently, watching as Julia’s eyes began to well up with tears.

“She’ll be here,” Julia repeated after him in a daze, still not fully believing this moment was real. They had been working toward this exact moment all day, and for months and months before that. To believe they were really getting ready to hold their daughter for the first time seemed impossible. 

“She’s right there, Julia,” David said softly, shaking his head in disbelief. He gave her a moment to fully comprehend what was happening before he kissed her shoulder.

Julia could feel another contraction begin in the lower half of her body and she groaned, shutting her eyes tightly. This was really it. 

“You ready, love?” David felt a thrill at his own words. He couldn’t wait to meet their little girl. “It won’t be much longer before you’re done, Julia. You’re doing great. ”

Lorenzo and Mila were both kneeling at the edge of the pool, encouraging Julia as Lorenzo reached into the water. 

“She’s crowning!” He announced. “This is it, Julia. Stop pushing. Relax your body as much as you can.”

Julia tried her best to lean back and go as limp as she could, letting the contractions take over as she looked back over her shoulder at David, breathing in and out slowly.

“You catch her, David,” she said quietly, and David nodded, moving from his position at the head of the pool to the foot, next to Lorenzo. 

“I’ve got her,” he reassured her. 

That was all the encouragement she needed. She leaned her head against the back of the pool, focusing on relaxing her muscles and releasing one final grunt, and a _bah,_ as their daughter slipped from her body and into the pool. 

David quickly reached for her and raised the baby to Julia’s chest, feeling his heart swell as he watched the emotions play out clearly on her face as she looked at him briefly in awe before her attention returned to the baby against her breast. 

He slowly pushed himself to his feet, moving to grab a towel from the side of the pool before kneeling next to Julia’s head again, watching them Julia and their daughter in wonder. He wanted to be able to take it all in. 

“Oh hi, baby. Hello, Emilia Kimberly,”Julia murmured, kissing the top of her head, and already noticing little wisps of dark brown hair there.

Silence filled the room then and Julia froze, realizing Emilia hadn’t released a cry.

“David… she isn’t crying.” He turned to look at her, seeing her eyes wide with fear and feeling his heart contract wildly.

“It’s alright, Julia,” Lorenzo reassured her, moving to the other side of the pool, ready to grab the baby if needed. “Sometimes newborns just need a little extra encouragement, especially after being born in water. Rub her back. That usually helps.”

Julia gently rubbed her palm against the wet smooth skin of Emilia’s back and after a moment, the newborn’s cry pierced the silence of the room. Both parents let out a sigh of relief and then Julia burst into tears. It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. 

David gently wrapped the towel around Emilia as her mother held her. He let a sob slip from his lips as he looked at her closely, his index finger coming to stroke her cheek where it rested against Julia’s chest. “She’s so beautiful.”

She nodded and smiled, tears of happiness cascading down her face. The two were silent for a moment, staring down at Emilia in adoration before Julia spoke again. 

“I think there’s a phone call you need to make.” Julia’s fingertips ran lightly over Emilia’s back as she held her close. She couldn’t believe she had grown this human inside of her. A human that she and David had created together. Feeling the baby’s breath puff against her chest as Emilia settled into her, making odd little baby noises, she felt as if her own breath had been sucked out of her lungs. It was an unbelievable feeling.

David frowned a bit before he realized what she meant. “Oh, right!” He chuckled, grabbing his phone from the nightstand. 

Julia smiled, never looking up from the baby. “Go call the children. We’ll be fine.”

David paused in the doorway, watching as Lorenzo and Mila moved about the room to prepare everything for Julia, Emilia, and the last stages of labor. His eyes landing on Julia and Emilia again, he smiled widely, sure his heart was going to burst. 

Catching Julia’s eye as she looked up at him, he winked at her before turning and leaving the room to make a call to London.

After having been cleaned up and dressed in a pair of purple silk pajamas, Julia laid in bed, resting her head against David’s shoulder. Her eyes drifted closed from time to time. She had never felt so tired, but also so deliriously happy. Lorenzo and Mila took that as a sign they could leave for the night.

“I’ll be back to check on you in the morning,” Mila said as she laid a hand gently on Julia’s shoulder. “Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything… She’s beautiful!”

Julia smiled, her eyes meeting the nurses’ gratefully. “Thank you, Mila. We’ll see you tomorrow.”  
  


When they had been left alone, Julia and David silently stared at their daughter as she rested on Julia’s lap, the two of them sharing giggles when she yawned or made any small noise. 

Julia was fighting the sleep that threatened to overcome her as they watched Emilia. She didn’t want to miss a single thing the baby did. But finally, she could fight it no longer and she leaned her head back against the headboard, closing her eyes.

“Why don’t you get some sleep?” David said, leaning in and kissing her lightly on the lips. “I’ll take her for a bit.”

Julia smiled and nodded, her eyes still closed, “Don’t take her too far, David Budd.”

He smirked. “We’ll just be over here. _Ma’am_.”

Feeling herself relax against the headboard, her eyes heavy, Julia was thankful for the pain medicine Lorenzo had given her before he left. She could already feel the soreness settling into her lower body and she winced as she shifted positions in bed gingerly. 

Julia tried her best to rest, but after fifteen minutes, sleep continued to evade her. She didn’t understand it. She had just given birth and was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. Shouldn’t she fall right to sleep? Opening her eyes, she watched David standing at the window, Emilia cradled in his arms, as he whispered things only meant for her tiny ears. If she listened closely, she thought she might have heard him humming to her. The melody sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She smiled. Had she actually caught David Budd _singing_? In that moment, Julia felt so full of love, she couldn’t help the word that slipped from her lips….

“Yes.” 

David jumped slightly in his place and whipped around to look at her. 

“Bloody hell, Julia! I thought you were asleep.”

“I tried,” She said, shrugging as she moved to sit up again. “And I should be. But I think I’m afraid I’ll miss something with her.”

“How long have you been watching us?” David softened. “Did you hear what we were talking about?”

Julia chuckled, “Not long, and no, I did not hear your secrets.” 

David let out a sigh of relief.

The room was quiet for a minute and Julia couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. “What were you singing to her, David?” She asked, watching as his face turned a shade of pink in the moonlight. 

“Just a lullaby,” he said quietly, his gaze returning to Emilia, bouncing her gently in his arms as she fussed a bit. “My ma sang it to me as a child, and I used to sing it to Ella and Charlie when they were babies.”

Julia felt the tears well up in her eyes again and quietly cursed her hormones for the fourth or fifth time that day. 

He began to hum again, this time without the singing, and Julia listened, trying to register the tune. It sounded so familiar. 

When she finally recognized it, she couldn’t help the smile that covered her features. 

“Is that ‘Lavender’s Blue’?” she asked after a minute and David looked up at her, smiling brightly. He nodded and Julia gave him a knowing look. 

“ _Lavender_?” she repeated and David chuckled. “A very strange coincidence, ma’am.”

The words of the song began to return to her slowly and she smiled again, thinking of David singing them to Emilia. In that moment, she was very glad sleep hadn’t come after all. 

_Lavender’s green, dilly dilly. Lavender’s Blue. If you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you. Let the birds sing, dilly dilly, and the lambs play. We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm’s way._

“David, I said _yes_ …” She repeated again, and David turned from the window to look at her. 

The moonlight shone through the window casting a beautiful glow on the room and on Julia. He paused for a moment, taking in her appearance. 

“Yes to what?” He asked, absentmindedly, rocking the baby as he glanced out at the vineyard again absentmindedly.

“I believe you asked me a question some weeks ago…” she said, her voice trailing off as she watched David bounce Emilia in his arms gently. She laughed at his obvious distraction, but she could barely blame him “Your question about marrying you, you bloody idiot!”

David whirled around to face her again, almost losing his balance, as his eyes widened.

“ _Careful_ , P.S. Budd.” Her tone was a mix of caution and amusement as she eyed the small, fragile bundle in his arms. She already felt so fiercely protective of that little girl. 

He moved to her side of the bed slowly. “I just... want to be sure I heard you right. You … want to marry me? You’re saying yes?”

She nodded, “Yes, I want to marry you, David. That is, of course, if the offer still stands,” she teased with a tired smirk, as she covered a yawn. 

“Oh, Julia.” He had reached her side then, and leaned down to kiss her, mindful of Emilia who had finally settled in his arms and was dozing gently.

“I love you.” Her voice was merely a whisper, not wanting to wake the baby. David handed the bundle to her, and they both giggled as Emilia let out a small grunt of displeasure at being disturbed. Coming around to the other side of the bed, he crawled in next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and placing a kiss on the crown of her head. As she relaxed into his embrace, holding Emilia to her chest, David thanked the universe for all the things that had happened that led them to this very moment. 

“I love you too, Julia.”

  
  



	3. The Rest of Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What about you?” He asked curiously, stroking her hand with his fingers. “You didn’t choose to leave. You were forced. Do you miss it?” He asked her. 
> 
> Julia was quiet for a long moment. 
> 
> “I miss … the life I knew,” she admitted. “Not so much the drama of it all,” she said quickly, rolling her eyes a little, which made David chuckle. “But feeling like I was making a difference for people. That was always one of the best parts of my job as Home Secretary, getting to help people.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you SO much for all of your sweet feedback on this story in the previous chapter, and all of the ones before that. 
> 
> I hope you guys are liking this format and they cluster format of this story! This will be the last chapter of Worlds Keep Turning, and then we’re on to the next big section. ;)
> 
> Anyway. I had planned on this part only being two chapters, but I thought our fluffy little family that we love so much needed some extra sweet moments. So, I present to you this third chapter, full of sunshine and rainbows. 😂
> 
> Hope you enjoy it! Let me know in the comments if there are any other parts of the story you want to see leading up to the wedding! 
> 
> Xo.

David entered the room, rubbing his hands together excitedly. 

“I just got off the phone with —” he began, before Julia interrupted him quickly, shushing him and holding her index finger to her lips. 

“Shhhhhhhhh!”

David’s eyes fell to the still bundle wrapped in Julia’s arms, and he smiled softly. 

“I finally just got her to sleep,” Julia whispered, careful not to disturb Emilia as she carefully extricated herself from the rocking chair that now took up residence in the corner of their bedroom. A gift from Sal, he had carved the chair himself, giving it to Julia and David as a baby shower present. He and Rosita really had gone all out, spoiling Emilia with so many cute outfits and little books written in Italian, too. 

“I’ll read them to her!” Sal had insisted when Julia reminded him that neither of Emilia’s parents spoke very good Italian. 

Crossing the room slowly, Julia attempted to place Emilia in the small bassinet at the foot of their bed, another gift -- this one from Mila and her family. Careful not to make any sudden movements, Julia breathed a sigh of relief as Emilia continued to sleep, not seeming to notice the change in her surroundings. 

Staring down at her, her eyes tired but happy, Julia couldn’t help but smile. The adjustment to life as a mother had not been an easy one, and she thanked whatever it was in the universe that had seen it fit to give her David back in her life. He was amazing with Emilia, and just as attentive to Julia when she needed it, something she knew she shouldn’t take for granted with a newborn. The days were long, and the nights were even longer. She felt like she was asleep on her feet most days, honestly. But all it took was one look at Emilia and none of that mattered. 

There were days Julia thought her heart might burst when she looked at her daughter. Her appearance seemed like it was changing every day, though the two-week old still had a head full of dark hair like her mother, and the bluest eyes that looked like the clear Tuscan sky on a bright day. Those had obviously been inherited from her father. Julia just hoped they would stay that way. 

Feeling David come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist gently, she smiled. 

“Let’s go talk in the kitchen,” she whispered, grabbing the baby monitor off the dresser and taking it with her as she left the room, adjusting her nursing gown and her robe around her body as David followed. 

She still had to move a bit slowly as she continued to recover from Emilia’s birth, but David could tell that her stance was getting stronger with each day. Following her into the kitchen, he watched as she poured herself a glass of water and took a long sip from it. 

“She finally stopped fighting you?” David asked in surprise. “How long did that take?” When he had left Julia to take a call from Vicky, Emilia had been in the middle of a tantrum and Julia was trying her best to soothe her. 

“It’s hard to fight when you have a full tummy and very heavy eyes,” she pointed out with a wry smile, and David chuckled, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her again. 

Leaning forward, he nestled his nose into her loose brunette waves, and smiled as he kissed the shell of her ear gently. 

“Have I told you lately that you’re a wonderful mother?” He asked with a wide smile as Julia leaned back into his arms, relaxing in his embrace. 

“You have,” Julia said matter-of-factly. “But I like hearing it,” she admitted with a shy smile. 

“The last two weeks have been …” Julia trailed off. 

“Exhausting?” David offered with a smirk, and Julia laughed in response.

“Well, yes,” she agreed. “But they’ve also been amazing. Sometimes, I look at that little girl in there, and I can’t believe she’s really ours.” 

It was David’s turn to laugh then. 

“Listen, all you have to do to know who her parents are is to look at her. The genetics are strong with that one.”

Julia rolled her eyes slightly before relaxing further against his body. 

“You know what I mean,” she insisted, covering a slight yawn. “What were you saying before?” She asked curiously, peeking one eye open to look at David over her shoulder. “You were on the phone…”

David’s brow furrowed, and then lit up as he remembered what he had wanted to tell Julia.

“Aye, yes, Vicky,” he began. “I told her about the wedding, and she said she and Allan and the kids would love to come. She said they’ll book their tickets next week.”

Julia smiled softly, turning in David’s arms so they rested against each of her shoulders. 

“Are we crazy for attempting to plan a wedding in six months time?” She asked, blinking a few times and suddenly feeling sleepier than she had realized. 

“Probably,” David answered honestly and shrugged. “But when have we ever done things the conventional way,  _ ma’am _ ?” He asked, his smile transforming into a smirk as Julia giggled, shaking her head. 

“I still love the way you say that,” she admitted, taking another step closer to him and pressing her lips to his gently. 

“I love that you love the way I say that,” he teased, brushing a stray curl from her eyes. “But, getting back to the wedding, I think it’s good that we’re keeping things small. It’ll be the  _ three  _ of us,” David said, putting his emphasis on the number before continuing. “Vicky and Allen and the kids will be here,” he repeated. “Then there’s Sal and Rosita, and Lorenzo, and Mila and her family. I love the idea of it just being the people that are the most important to us. Don’t you?”

“I do,” Julia agreed, getting lost in thought for a moment. 

“Julia?” 

Bringing herself back to the present, Julia shook her head. 

“I was just thinking how funny it is that your ex-wife and her boyfriend will be at our wedding,” she admitted, chuckling. “I can’t say I saw that coming when I used to envision marrying you, David Budd,” she said with a laugh. “Then again, I didn’t envision any of this either,” she said, with a little sigh, looking around the cottage. 

Julia had never once imagined herself outside of London, much less hidden away in the Italian countryside. 

“You envisioned marrying me, aye?” David asked curiously, his eyes locking on her own as she smiled in return, nodding without hesitation.

“You thought about it a lot, have you?”

“Possibly,” Julia answered vaguely, raising her shoulders in a sort of shrug. But David wasn’t willing to let go so easily.

“Since I proposed before Emilia was born?” 

“Oh, long before that,” Julia said matter-of-factly, enjoying the look of surprise written on David’s face. “We’re talking about when you were my PPO-turned-lover shagging me behind closed doors at the Blackwood Hotel.”

David laughed, leaning forward and resting his head on her shoulder gently. 

“That feels like ages ago,” he said softly, letting his lips press gently against the soft material of her silk robe at her shoulder blade. 

He pulled away suddenly, his eyes wide. 

“Wait,” he said suddenly, the realization dawning on him. “But when I proposed a few months ago, you said then you didn’t know if you wanted to marry me!” 

Julia laughed, shaking her head quickly in disagreement. 

“I said I would think about it,” she corrected him. “I knew then that I wanted to marry you,” she admitted, fidgeting a little under his gaze. “I knew long before that, David.”

David opened and shut his mouth and closed it several times, suddenly feeling at a loss for words. 

Julia watched his reaction and smirked at his sudden inability to speak. It wasn’t a common experience for David to be speechless. 

“My heart just had to convince my brain,” she explained. “My heart knew exactly that it was what I wanted… my brain just took a bit longer to come around. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can be a bit stubborn.” 

“Oh, I’ve certainly noticed that,” David agreed quickly, apparently finding his words now. “A trait your daughter inherited from you, clearly, as well.”

They both laughed. 

“Alright, it’s a date, officially,” David said with a grin. “We’re getting married in January.” 

Julia smiled. 

“I can’t wait,” she said, beaming. Turning away to cover a yawn, she laughed. “Let’s just hope we’re sleeping better by then,” she said with a sigh. 

David leaned forward, kissing her temple. 

“Let’s go take a nap, love,” he suggested, and Julia was quick to agree as they headed toward the bedroom where Emilia was still sleeping soundly without a care in the world. 

“Mum told us that you and Daddy are getting married, Julia, is that true?” Charlie asked, leaning in toward the camera of his ipad, mimicking the same stare Julia had seen on David’s face more than once. It was uncanny how much the little boy (who was sadly not so little anymore) looked just like his father. And acted like him, too, she thought as she watched Charlie raise a brow curiously. 

“You don’t believe your mum?” Julia asked, laughing at the boy’s curious nature, as his face flushed slightly in embarrassment and he shrugged. Julia thought she might have heard Vicky admonishing him playfully in the background. 

“Yes, Charlie Bear, your dad and I are getting married,” she told him happily, leaning back against the bed and shuffling Emilia to her chest as the baby started to fuss slightly. 

“Is something wrong with Emilia?” Ella asked, popping into the frame quickly and assessing the situation, causing Julia to chuckle. It was like Ella had a radar for everything that Emilia did, and Julia had the very strong feeling that when Vicky and the children came to visit for the wedding, Ella would be taking the role of big sister  _ very _ seriously. 

“Your sister is fine, Ella,” Julia said calmly, reaching down and stroking the sleeping baby’s cheek with her index finger. “She just loves her sleep, and doesn’t like it when it’s interrupted,” she said with a little sigh, watching as Emilia’s mouth turned into a little smile at her mother’s gentle touch. 

“But she interrupts your sleep!” Charlie pointed out, speaking a little louder than he meant to, Ella quickly shushing him. 

“You’ll wake her up, Charlie!” Ella said, obviously annoyed by her little brother. She turned her attention back to Julia on the screen. 

“Can I see her again?” Ella asked, trying to peer over the edge of Emilia’s mauve floral swaddle blanket with no luck.

Julia smiled. Ella might even be taking on the role of a little mother, not just a big sister to Emilia, when they arrived in Tuscany, she thought as she adjusted the camera so it was pointed down at the three-week old who had snuggled deeper into her blankets, her lips pursed in her sleep. 

“What does Emilia smell like, Julia?” Charlie asked curiously, and Julia stifled a laugh at the surprising question as Ella glanced over at her brother, shooting him a confused look before she rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Julia as she waited for the answer to the question, despite her confusion at Charlie asking.

“Well, Charlie,” she said, trailing off thoughtfully. “ _ Most  _ of the time, she smells lovely. Babies just … have a certain smell. But we also give her baths with a special kind of soap that Sal and Rosita got us. So she smells like flowers, a lot of the time.

“Huh, flowers,” Charlie said thoughtfully and shrugged. 

Vicky appeared in the frame then, smiling brightly. 

“Hi Julia,” she said, leaning in over the children. “How are you doing?” She asked, wiping her hands on a dish towel. 

Julia smiled. 

“I’m … alright,” she answered evasively, eyeing the children. “Still getting my strength back,” she answered honestly. “Lorenzo said it may take a little longer for my hip to stop smarting so much. But I’m the happiest I can ever remember being … even if I’m also the most tired I’ve ever been,” she said, laughing. 

Vicky nodded. 

“I know what you mean,” she agreed. “Enjoy it, though. Emilia will be grown up before you know it. And you’ll have to tell her _ fifteen _ times a day to clean her room,” Vicky said, putting the emphasis on her words as she ruffled Charlie’s hair, causing the boy to sigh. 

“Alright, alright, I’m going,” he said, knowing what was coming before it even happened. Julia and Vicky made eye contact on the iPpad, both stifling a laugh at the way the boy’s shoulders fell dejectedly. 

“Goodbye, Charlie,” Julia said gently. “Emilia and I will talk to you again soon, alright?” 

The boy nodded before trudging off to his bedroom slowly. Ella looked at the camera once he was out of earshot. 

“Charlie can be a little dramatic sometimes,” she told Julia in a low whisper. “Especially about cleaning his room.” 

Julia laughed at Ella being so candid. 

“Hey, where’s dad?” The girl asked curiously, as if she had just suddenly realized David wasn’t around, even though they had been on facetime for almost half an hour now. 

“He’s down at the big house, helping Sal,” Julia told her. “He hired him to do some work around the vineyard when he can,” she told Ella, pausing as Emilia began to fuss again in her arms. Looking down at the baby who was certainly not calming down any time soon, Julia chuckled. 

“I believe someone is hungry,” she said gently, turning her attention fully to the baby. “Is it time for lunch, Little Miss Emilia?” she asked quietly, running her finger over that baby’s face again, which only seemed to make her angrier now. 

Julia looked up at Ella and Vicky, sighing. 

“I better go take care of this, before we have a full-blown temper tantrum on our hands,” she said, sitting up and lifting Emilia into a better position where Ella could see her. 

“This is what your sister looks like when she is unhappy,” she told her matter-of-factly, watching as Ella’s brow furrowed as she watched Emilia’s face turning red. “We’re going to go, Ella. We’ll talk to you again soon.”

“Bye, Emilia,” she said, nodding quickly. “Your big sister Ella loves you so much! Bye, Julia, love you, too,” she added quickly before offering a little wave and hanging up. 

Julia felt her heart swell at how her relationship had grown with David’s children since their first visit to Tuscany. Being broken from the memory by Emila’s frustrated cry, Julia couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, little one, I know, I know,” she said softly, adjusting her top and lifting the baby to her breast. 

As Emilia latched on, she began to stroke the baby’s hairline, running her fingers through the dark waves there. In the three weeks since she had been born, Julia could already see her appearance changing on a daily basis, and she was never sure she could pinpoint who she looked more like, her or David. 

She smiled down at the little girl, who had calmed down considerably as she nursed, an arm escaping her swaddle as Julia intertwined her finger around tiny ones that gripped on to her tightly. 

Julia had just finished nursing Emilia when David entered the cottage, peeking his head around the corner carefully before speaking. He had learned his lesson about coming into the house loudly after Julia had admonished him more than once for waking Emilia up after she had just gotten her to sleep. 

“How are two of my favorite girls?” David asked with a little smile, entering the room when he saw that Emilia was awake, kicking her legs enthusiastically as Julia had released her from her swaddle. 

“Do you have a lot of favorite girls, David?” Julia teased, sitting up and balancing Emilia on her lap as she repositioned herself. 

“No,” David said, reaching for the baby. “Just the three best ones,” he said with a wide grin as he leaned forward and kissed Julia, taking Emilia in his arms. 

Julia smiled. 

“Oh, that reminds me, we facetimed with Ella and Charlie for a bit earlier,” she said, getting to her feet and stretching carefully. “I think they’re excited about the wedding, and getting to finally meet Emilia, of course. I don’t think anyone else will matter once Ella can get her hands on that baby,” she said, nodding toward their daughter with a laugh. 

Grabbing the burping cloth off the bed, she placed it over David’s shoulder. 

“You’re up, Sergeant,” she teased with a smirk. “I am starving and desperately need to eat something. And your daughter needs to be burped.” 

David nodded, watching Julia as she moved about the room as he placed Emilia against his shoulder and began to pat her back. 

“You seem like you’re getting around better,” he commented, and Julia turned to look back at him in surprise. 

“I am, actually. It doesn’t feel quite as painful today,” she said, her voice full of relief. 

“Maybe if you feel like it later, we could go for a short walk around the vineyard,” David suggested. “We can take Emilia’s pram out for a spin.”

Julia laughed. 

“Is this what our lives are reduced to now?” she asked with a chuckle. “Romantic walks through an Italian vineyard, pushing our three-week old along in her pram?” 

David smirked, chuckling as he finally managed to elicit a tiny burp from his daughter. 

“I believe it is, love. I believe it is.”

“Alright, you have yourself a deal, Mr. Budd,” Julia said with a smile. “Let me grab something to eat and we can go.”

It was cooler than usual for an August day in Tuscany, but Julia was grateful for the shade of the trees as they walked along the path, slowly pushing Emilia in her pram. The baby gurgled happily, kicking her feet as she stared up at her parents, watching their movements. 

She had been doing more and more of that, watching David and Julia as they moved around the cottage, especially as they entered or left a room.

“It’ll be nice when it cools down in a few months and we can take her for walks like this all the time,” Julia said, looking down at the little girl with a smile as she adjusted the visor of the pram.

David laughed, nodding in agreement. 

“Aye,” he said, looking up at the clear blue sky. “Living here has its pros and cons. The days when it is really hot makes me miss London. But I don’t miss the rain,” he pointed out, reaching for Julia’s hand where it was holding onto the pram. 

“Do you miss being in London?” She asked quietly, turning to look at him as they came to a stop.

David was thoughtful for a moment. 

“I miss Ella and Charlie,” he said honestly. “But I don’t mind so much being away from the city. I have certainly grown to love our life here together,” he added, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers gently before pulling away. 

“What about you?” He asked curiously, stroking her hand with his fingers. “You didn’t choose to leave. You were forced. Do you miss it?” He asked her. 

Julia was quiet for a long moment. 

“I miss … the life I knew,” she admitted. “Not so much the drama of it all,” she said quickly, rolling her eyes a little, which made David chuckle. “But feeling like I was making a difference for people. That was always one of the best parts of my job as Home Secretary, getting to help people.” 

David nodded, letting her continue. 

“Sometimes I miss some of the people,” she said. “Not that I had a lot of social friends, it was mostly just colleagues. But I miss casual lunches and getting to spend time with other people -- not that spending time with you and Emilia isn’t amazing,” she added quickly, her eyes wide and David laughed. 

“It’s alright, love. I know what you mean,” he assured her. “What about your mother?” He asked quietly. 

Julia chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment before she answered.

“That … is complicated,” she finally managed, her gaze drifting down to Emilia. “My mother and I were never close. I don’t think I was the prim and proper daughter that she wanted. I was too outspoken, and far too headstrong, like my father,” she said, chuckling at the memory of Richard Montague. 

“But I think she would love to know she had a grandchild,” she said softly, still staring at her daughter. “She would be thrilled to know that the Montague family legacy lives on,” she said with a little sigh. “But ... I guess I’ll never know.” 

Julia looked sad, and David reached for her, pulling her into a hug as he held her tightly to her chest, kissing the top of her head. 

“Would you … ever want to go back?” He asked, not releasing her from his grasp, and Julia’s brow furrowed as she pulled away. 

“Go back to London?” she asked in surprise, and David nodded. 

“It wouldn’t be easy,” he said, frowning. “Most everyone thinks you’re dead… you certainly couldn’t get your job back… but if you wanted to return to a life in London, I think we could make it happen.” 

Julia frowned. She had honestly never contemplated the thought. She briefly thought of the attempts made on her life, but quickly realized that if she wasn’t acting home secretary, chances are that no one would likely come after her. They no longer had a reason to if she wasn’t pushing legislation through.

“Would you want that?” Julia asked, turning her attention to David, who shrugged. 

“My home is wherever you and Emilia are,” he said softly, and Julia smiled, leaning forward and kissing him again. 

“Let’s think about it,” she said softly, picking up Emilia and moving to sit on a bench in a shaded alcove right off the path. “We have other things to focus on first,” she reminded David as he came and sat down next to her, reaching over and grasping Emilia’s hand. 

“That’s true,” he said, looking down at the baby with a smile. He turned his attention back to Julia.

“You know, the day I proposed to you right here … I wasn’t planning on doing it then,” he admitted with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Julia laughed. 

“You mean after you forced me to go for a walk in the dark because  _ your _ daughter wouldn’t settle down?” She teased, looking down at Emilia then back at David, who shrugged. 

“Well, it helped!” He reminded her. “But that isn’t what I wanted to say.”

“Yes, you were  _ right _ ,” Julia said, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Go on then, what did you want to say?”

“Well, I had it all planned out, the proposal, I mean,” he explained. “I was going to take you on a romantic picnic, and spend the day with you, spoiling you, and then get down on one knee and give you a ring.”

He frowned. 

“But I spoiled all that, because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.” 

Julia softened. 

“David, you didn’t ruin anything,” she insisted. “The way things happened was exactly what I wanted for us.” 

She reached for his hand, and his gaze flickered to her bare ring finger on her left hand as he traced it with his thumb. 

“But I didn’t even have a ring for you,” he said softly, realizing how pitiful that was. 

Julia shrugged, turning toward David as Emilia snuggles further into her check, grunting dramatically, which made both her parents laugh. 

“I don’t need any grand gestures or great big shiny rings, David,” Julia assured him. “I am perfectly happy knowing that you love me and our daughter, and that we’re getting married in six months with our closest family and friends here to see it.” 

David looked at the woman in front of him, amazed by her. When he had first been hired as Julia Montague’s PPO, he would have assumed she wanted for nothing and only expected the finest things in life. But this woman, his Julia, was happy just knowing that he loved her. 

Emilia began to fuss again, and Julia turned her attention to the baby, withdrawing her hand from his own. Finally getting her to settle down again a few moments later, pacifying her as she rocked her back and forth a bit, rubbing her back as she did, David cleared his throat, and Julia looked down in surprise at where he was kneeling in front of her on a bent knee. 

“Should I take the ring back then?” He teased, holding out a gold band with a small green stone that sparkled in the sunlight. 

Julia’s eyes widened at the piece of jewelry David was offering her. 

“Don’t you dare!” She said breathlessly, extending her hand out toward him as they began to laugh. 

“Now, I’m not going to ask you if you’ll marry me again,” David said, grasping her hand in his own. “Because you already said yes, and I’m holding you to that. No take backs,” he added, wriggling his brow, causing Julia to laugh again. “But I am giving you this ring, because I want you to look at it, and remember that we have our whole lives ahead of us.” 

Sliding the ring onto her finger, David kissed her knuckles, looking up at her with a bright smile. 

Julia felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes. Between David’s sentiment, and seeing the ring on her hand, she suddenly felt deliriously happy.

“Is that a peridot stone?” She asked quietly, looking down at the ring as she shifted her hand so it caught the sun just right. 

“It is. Emilia’s birthstone,” he paused. “And then the diamond on each side of the peridot represents us, so it’s our whole new little family,” he explained and Julia took a deep breath, nodding. 

“It’s perfect, David,” she whispered. “Thank you.” 

Getting up off his knee, David reached for Emilia, chuckling at her slight protest of leaving her mother’s arms as he placed her back in her pram at their sides and turned back to Julia. Taking her by the hands, he pulled her to her feet as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, leaning forward and kissing her gently.

“This is just the beginning, Julia,” he said softly, his mouth only centimeters from hers. 

Julia smiled brightly, kissing him again. 

“To the rest of forever,” she said quietly, leaning into his embrace as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, glancing at her ring again. 

“Forever,” David repeated. 


End file.
